plural patellae
pə-ˈte-(ˌ)lē 
-ˌlī
or patellas
-ˌlī
or patellas
: a thick flat triangular movable bone that forms the anterior point of the knee and protects the front of the joint : kneecap
… the quadriceps are attached at the anterior and anterior lateral aspect of the patella and are extensors of the knee joint.—
John B. Rizzotto
John B. Rizzotto… a few horses suffer from a slipping of the patella—the little bone on the front of the stifle that is similar to the human kneecap—locking the joint so that it cannot flex properly.—Heather Smith Thomas
Heather Smith ThomasThe human knee is specialized for walking upright too: to compensate for the thighbone's being at an angle, there's a lump, or groove, at the end of the femur that prevents the patella from sliding off the joint.—Michael D. Lemonick and Andrea Dorfman
Michael D. Lemonick and Andrea DorfmanExamples of patella in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sturm said Lindholm had suffered a lower-body injury unrelated to his broken patella.
—Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
The procedure took bone marrow from her hip and sprinkled it on the back of her patella.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 28 Sep. 2025
That year, Adcock fractured his knee twice, tearing his patella and meniscus cartilage.
—Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 19 Aug. 2025
Slater tore the patella tendon in his left knee.
—Jay Paris, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patella
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Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
The procedure took bone marrow from her hip and sprinkled it on the back of her patella.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 28 Sep. 2025
That year, Adcock fractured his knee twice, tearing his patella and meniscus cartilage.
—Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 19 Aug. 2025
Slater tore the patella tendon in his left knee.
—Jay Paris, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patella
Cite this Entry
“Patella.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patella. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
patella
noun
pa·tel·la
pə-ˈtel-ə
plural patellae
-ˈtel-(ˌ)ē
-ˌī
or patellas
-ˌī
or patellas
: a thick flat triangular movable bone that forms the anterior point of the knee, protects the front of the joint, increases the leverage of the quadriceps, and is usually regarded as a sesamoid bone since it is developed in the tendon of the quadriceps and in structure is similar to other sesamoid bones
called also kneecap, kneepan
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